Who Ordered the Culture Wars?

Manufactured Outrage and Deliberate Distraction.

Look around us…

Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.

Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would be delighted with his government rents continue to rise.

I got an email from Auckland Transport saying, “Half price fares for ages 13-24 will end on 30 April 2024, in line with the government’s decision to withdraw funding for these concessions.”

We’ve got extra costs for EV owners from the first of April. Cuts to government funding mean less money for public transport and so our largest city is talking about some suburbs no longer having services, at all.

And what are we talking about?

Canceling the reading of stories to children, painting over rainbow crossings, and whether Sean Plunket should be canceled for being the worst New Zealander.

Oh, and Drunkle Winston is still seeing Nazis everywhere he looks!

“Look behind you, Winston!”

Much of this seems to replicate the US. Many of us have looked at their system of lobbying, ultra partisanship, and focussing on issues like abortion rights, rather than gun control, and been grateful we don’t have that here. Others, apparently, have seen it as an opportunity.

Fixing big problems is hard.

But a bit of manufactured outrage is easy, and if you’re an MP there to keep sponsors and lobbyists happy, rather than the people who voted for you, it’s a great way to get that latter group to forget about all the promises you made to them.

So what does our future look like over in the US at the moment? Take a look at this clip from Jon Stewart, who really gets going in the second half of this.

As we see from that it turns out that just making up numbers, that suit you at the time, has some great, upfront advantages.

Like for example telling people they’re going to get a large tax cut while you balance the books. Reality will catch up with you eventually, but if you create enough distraction, if you throw a handful of ball bearings in the direction of your pursuers, they won’t catch you until it’s too late.

So on with the distraction…

Story Time and Rainbow Crossings.

Yesterday morning I was feeling a bit flat. I hate injustice and bullying, and it looked like that was what the Destiny thugs were going to get away with.

I hadn’t realised at that point that the council had already rectified things, and can I just say - how cool were they to have reinstated that crossing the very next day? It was like a miracle. Praise Brian, or maybe not.

Gisborne's rainbow crossing was restored after Destiny Church member painted it white in protest of a drag queen story time at the local library. Photo: Gisborne Council.

Now I should just say that I have nothing against those who follow a religion. That’s up to them - provided they don’t try and impose it on someone else. You know, the usual proviso.

But firstly, whatever Brian Tamaki has dressed up as a religion, his snakeoil offering to the easily mislead, it has nothing to do with Christianity. And secondly, the Destiny duped are imposing Brian’s “ideas” on others who want nothing to do with them.

C’mon guys, if you don’t want to take your kids to listen to the stories - then don’t!

See how easy that was? Now stop spoiling things for everyone else. Because the truth is if there’s anyone that is bringing dangerous thoughts to town, perverted ideas - it’s you, and your old mate Pastor Baked.

It was really bugging me. How could these guys wreck things, deface a public crossing painted to encourage understanding and acceptance, and just get away with it?

On Tuesday, Gisborne Destiny Church leader Leighton Packer said the group would not tolerate “these people coming here to read to our children”. God forbid they should learn something.

The book reading did actually go ahead, with the police watching, as protesters chanted against what they referred to as the “sexualisation of children”. Presumably in order to prove who the real weirdos were.

Not content with having vandalised the crossing once the thugs, in their outrage at it being restored and believing themselves above the law, returned to do it again.

Nobody accused these people of being smart. The police arrested five of them. So yay!

Dolphin Wars II - Douchebags Strike Back.

With all the palaver over the sailing event, which would’ve meant racing through the home of our endangered dolphins, it seems Sean Plunket was feeling as if his position as the biggest bellend in Aotearoa was under threat from Russell Coutts. So he spoke up, to set the record straight.

That’s quite a headline, isn’t it? Take a moment to imagine how much the person writing that enjoyed doing so.

Plunket, in his cry for relevance, said of the dolphins that they’re, “like the Down syndrome kids of marine mammals. They're cross-bred and they deserve to die.”

So a pretty typical day on The Platform I imagine. But Sean had reckoned without Cameron Slater, aka Whaleoil, standing up for his fellow cetaceans.

On the face of it Cameron Slater is in the right here, but let’s be realistic.

No matter what Sean has said, and even if he may currently be the worst person in Aotearoa. At the end of the day, as Cam’s old mate John Key was wont to say, he’s still not Cameron Slater.

So chin up Sean - you could be worse.

Winston’s Safe Spaces,

A few days ago Martyn Bradbury, aka Bomber, tweeted the following. I thought it was amusing, but I didn’t really think it would cause much of a controversy.

It sounded like just the sort of thing to get a member of the ACT Youth aroused. Oblivious to the irony that when they ask why such groups need a safe space, it’s probably so people can get away from those just like them.

These spaces are nothing new. I went to Auckland Uni 30 years ago and I certainly remember Womanspace from the time. It’s not unusual at a University for different groups based on gender, race, religion, or whatever, to have a space where they can talk, or pray, or overthrow the patriarchy, or whatever they choose to do.

It doesn’t hurt anyone. Other than those who are not used to being told there is something they can’t have.

So I was bit surprised to see Winston Peters entering the fray, as if coming ashore at Normandy, ready for a bit of biffo on the beaches.

Is he serious? Surely not, this can only be an absurd gimmick to appeal to those fearful of education and the loss of their pakeha privilege.

Having a few tables set aside for a minority group is akin to apartheid, segregation and the KKK? Not only that, but he imagines that Martin Luther King would have been up in arms about too?

Sorry Winston, once again ACT has beaten you to the punch. David Seymour was already quoting Dr King last year.

The whole thing is ridiculous. The idea that Martin Luther King would’ve shared the same views as Winston or Seymour. That Cameron Slater could claim the moral high ground - over anyone. Or that anyone would believe that the small minded hatred and bigotry from Brian Tamaki has come from a higher being.

All the while Nicola Willis prepares for tax cuts during a recession - and if that’s not absolute lunacy, then I don’t know what is!